Are We There Yet? Part 2
Children's sermon
Note: This sermon is the second in a series you can continue through Advent. This is a great opportunity to have some fun with the children as you lead up to Christmas. The series is designed to end on Christmas Eve, but you can end it on the 4th Sunday of Advent if you do not have a children’s cermon on Christmas Eve. The most important part of this series is that the more fun you have with it, the more fun everyone else will have too!
Objects: You will need three objects:
1) A box with the word “WAIT!” written on the side of it in big letters. The box should be big enough to hold a collection of gifts you will give the children when you do finally open it. Fun gifts might be things like noisemakers or other party-favors so you can all celebrate the fact that the box has been “finally” opened. You will not actually need to have the gifts inside the box until the last message of the series when you finally open the box.
2) A piece of paper with a note that says, “Do not open until you hear the alarm go off!”.
3) An alarm clock of some kind. For the most fun, find a big, old alarm clock that looks like it will make a lot of noise, but anything with an alarm on it will work. Remember that you will not actually “set” the alarm until the last message in the series.
...........
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.” (vv. 1-3)
Message
(As the children join you, place the box and alarm clock on the floor where everyone can see it and have the note in your hand.)
Hi everyone! I have the box with me again. Do you remember last time I explained that I found this box and it had this note with it that said, “Do not open until you hear the alarm!”? (Let them respond.) Well, I am still waiting. And I have to be honest with you and tell you that I’m not all that good at waiting. How about you? Do you like to wait for things? (Let them respond.)
This week is the second Sunday in the season we call Advent. Does anyone know what that means? (Let them respond.) Advent kind of sounds like the word “adventure” doesn’t it? I guess Christmas is kind of like an adventure sometimes isn’t it? But that’s not what Advent means. The season of Advent is from an old Greek word “adventus,” and it means the same thing as our word “coming.” So, during the four weeks of Advent, we think about how we are waiting for something very special that is coming. And what do you think that special thing might be? (Let them respond.) Christmas, yes, the time when the baby Jesus was born.
Advent lasts four Sundays, and this is the Second Sunday of Advent, so how many more weeks do we have to wait until Christmas? (Let them respond.) Yes! That’s not too bad. Some things we have to wait for don’t take very long to get here, but it can still be hard to wait. At least we know it won’t be too long.
But sometimes we have to wait a lot longer for something to get here. Can you think of something you are waiting for that’s going to take a long time before it gets here? (Let them respond.) Maybe you have said, “I can’t wait until…” and whatever you said next was a long way off. Like maybe, “I can’t wait until I grow up!” Or “I can’t wait until I can drive.” Or “I can’t wait until I’m out of school!” (Look at the adults.) Or maybe, “I can’t wait until I retire and don’t have to go to work!” (Let them respond.)
Those are things we have to wait a long time for, kind of like a long time ago when the people had been waiting before Jesus was born. They had been waiting a lot longer than a few weeks of Advent.
Once there was a man whose name was Isaiah, and he wrote about how he was waiting for Jesus to be born. Isaiah was called a prophet. Can anyone tell me what a prophet was? (Let them respond.) The Bible tells stories about times when God’s people were really having problems. Maybe they were fighting a big enemy, or somebody was being mean to them, and the people were afraid. A prophet was someone that God talked to and told things that God was going to do in the future to help the people. Then the prophet told everyone what God was going to do, so they all knew they just needed to stay strong and brave and wait for God to act.
But, wow, you know what? Isaiah lived almost seven hundred years before Jesus was finally born. Now that’s a long time to have to wait, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) I’m glad we don’t have to wait that long for Christmas, aren’t you? (Let them respond.) We only have to wait, how long? (Let them respond.) Yes, a couple of more weeks. We can do that.
I wonder how long we’re going to have to wait for the alarm to go off so we can open this box? (Let them respond.) I really wonder what’s inside? I guess I’ll just have to wait. I hope it’s not seven hundred years!
Well, while we wait, let’s remember to think of things we can do that will let someone know we care about them like God wants us to, and how we might make their day a bit nicer. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but just some way we might let them know that we care about them. Can you think of anything we might do like that? (Let them respond.) Yes, maybe just smile, or say something nice, or help them with something they are doing, or just spending some time with them. Those are things that can help someone have a nicer day. Even just remembering to say, “Thank You!” to someone. Those are all things that God has asked us to do and are things we can do while we wait.
Well, I guess the alarm isn’t going off this week either, so we’ll bring the box back next week and see if we get to open it then. Before we go, let’s say a short prayer to ask God to help us remember some of the things we can do for those around us while we wait for Christmas to get here.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you again for reminding us how much you love all of us, and how important it is for us to take care of each other. Please help us find ways to let the people around us know that we love them. Amen.
Objects: You will need three objects:
1) A box with the word “WAIT!” written on the side of it in big letters. The box should be big enough to hold a collection of gifts you will give the children when you do finally open it. Fun gifts might be things like noisemakers or other party-favors so you can all celebrate the fact that the box has been “finally” opened. You will not actually need to have the gifts inside the box until the last message of the series when you finally open the box.
2) A piece of paper with a note that says, “Do not open until you hear the alarm go off!”.
3) An alarm clock of some kind. For the most fun, find a big, old alarm clock that looks like it will make a lot of noise, but anything with an alarm on it will work. Remember that you will not actually “set” the alarm until the last message in the series.
...........
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.” (vv. 1-3)
Message
(As the children join you, place the box and alarm clock on the floor where everyone can see it and have the note in your hand.)
Hi everyone! I have the box with me again. Do you remember last time I explained that I found this box and it had this note with it that said, “Do not open until you hear the alarm!”? (Let them respond.) Well, I am still waiting. And I have to be honest with you and tell you that I’m not all that good at waiting. How about you? Do you like to wait for things? (Let them respond.)
This week is the second Sunday in the season we call Advent. Does anyone know what that means? (Let them respond.) Advent kind of sounds like the word “adventure” doesn’t it? I guess Christmas is kind of like an adventure sometimes isn’t it? But that’s not what Advent means. The season of Advent is from an old Greek word “adventus,” and it means the same thing as our word “coming.” So, during the four weeks of Advent, we think about how we are waiting for something very special that is coming. And what do you think that special thing might be? (Let them respond.) Christmas, yes, the time when the baby Jesus was born.
Advent lasts four Sundays, and this is the Second Sunday of Advent, so how many more weeks do we have to wait until Christmas? (Let them respond.) Yes! That’s not too bad. Some things we have to wait for don’t take very long to get here, but it can still be hard to wait. At least we know it won’t be too long.
But sometimes we have to wait a lot longer for something to get here. Can you think of something you are waiting for that’s going to take a long time before it gets here? (Let them respond.) Maybe you have said, “I can’t wait until…” and whatever you said next was a long way off. Like maybe, “I can’t wait until I grow up!” Or “I can’t wait until I can drive.” Or “I can’t wait until I’m out of school!” (Look at the adults.) Or maybe, “I can’t wait until I retire and don’t have to go to work!” (Let them respond.)
Those are things we have to wait a long time for, kind of like a long time ago when the people had been waiting before Jesus was born. They had been waiting a lot longer than a few weeks of Advent.
Once there was a man whose name was Isaiah, and he wrote about how he was waiting for Jesus to be born. Isaiah was called a prophet. Can anyone tell me what a prophet was? (Let them respond.) The Bible tells stories about times when God’s people were really having problems. Maybe they were fighting a big enemy, or somebody was being mean to them, and the people were afraid. A prophet was someone that God talked to and told things that God was going to do in the future to help the people. Then the prophet told everyone what God was going to do, so they all knew they just needed to stay strong and brave and wait for God to act.
But, wow, you know what? Isaiah lived almost seven hundred years before Jesus was finally born. Now that’s a long time to have to wait, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) I’m glad we don’t have to wait that long for Christmas, aren’t you? (Let them respond.) We only have to wait, how long? (Let them respond.) Yes, a couple of more weeks. We can do that.
I wonder how long we’re going to have to wait for the alarm to go off so we can open this box? (Let them respond.) I really wonder what’s inside? I guess I’ll just have to wait. I hope it’s not seven hundred years!
Well, while we wait, let’s remember to think of things we can do that will let someone know we care about them like God wants us to, and how we might make their day a bit nicer. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but just some way we might let them know that we care about them. Can you think of anything we might do like that? (Let them respond.) Yes, maybe just smile, or say something nice, or help them with something they are doing, or just spending some time with them. Those are things that can help someone have a nicer day. Even just remembering to say, “Thank You!” to someone. Those are all things that God has asked us to do and are things we can do while we wait.
Well, I guess the alarm isn’t going off this week either, so we’ll bring the box back next week and see if we get to open it then. Before we go, let’s say a short prayer to ask God to help us remember some of the things we can do for those around us while we wait for Christmas to get here.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you again for reminding us how much you love all of us, and how important it is for us to take care of each other. Please help us find ways to let the people around us know that we love them. Amen.
